Ethiopia Rejects UN, EU Calls to Investigate Deadly Protests

FILE - Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is seen in his office in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 17, 2016.

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Ethiopia’s prime minister is rejecting requests by the United Nations and the European Union to investigate months of anti-government protests that left hundreds dead.

Hailemariam Desalegn spoke to local journalists a day after the state-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said at least 669 people were killed during the protests that began in November 2015 and led to the country’s current state of emergency. Most of the dead were civilians.

The prime minister said Wednesday that not allowing the outside investigations is an issue of sovereignty. The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate quoted him as saying there is nothing his government wants to hide.

Opposition figures have questioned the commission’s report, which largely blamed opposition groups and foreign media for the unrest and said security forces used “proportionate measures” to counter it.